The present invention relates generally to a vehicle door hinge, and, more particularly, to a bracket in the door hinge assembly that limits the angular displacement of the door when in its open position.
A vehicle chassis cab, such as an extended cab for a pickup truck, may be up-fitted with a wide body, such as a flat bed or a camper, that extends laterally beyond the outer surface of the cab. The rear doors of the cab (the RAP doors) are hinged such that they swing rearward in an angular range of about 170 degrees in order to improve access to the cab in pickup truck applications. When this vehicle chassis cab is used with a wide body, however, this range of door travel allows the door to contact the wide body, and that contact may damage the outer sheet metal on the door assembly.
Frequently the wide vehicle body is retrofitted to the vehicle chassis at a location other than the assembly plant where the vehicle chassis is assembled. Therefore, original equipment that would limit the range of door travel and prevent damage to the door is not known to be required and is not installed at the assembly plant. Moreover, it is not desirable to limit the opening angle for the pickup truck applications of this chassis.
A need exists, therefore, for a technique to adapt the door hinge originally installed in the vehicle, such that the door travel is limited to an angular range within which contact between the door, while being opened, and the retrofitted, wide body is prevented.